Teleprompter / Free tools / Words in a 2-minute script
Words in a 2-minute script
About 240 to 360 words. A keynote-paced read at 120 words a minute is 240 words, a piece to camera at 140 is 280, and a brisk voiceover at 165 is 330. Most two-minute pieces land at 260 to 300.
On this page
Words by pace
| Kind of read | Sample pace (words a minute) | Words in 2 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 120 | 240 |
| Self-tape | 130 | 260 |
| Piece to camera | 140 | 280 |
| Voiceover | 150 | 300 |
| Commercial read | 165 | 330 |
| Fast read | 180 | 360 |
These are sample paces: our own starting points for each kind of read, and no study measured them as averages. Your pace is your own, and the reading pace test gives it to you in a minute. Then the budget is your pace × 2.
What usually runs two minutes
| Job | Words to aim for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An explainer video | 280 to 300 | A problem, a solution and a step or two |
| A self-tape monologue | 240 to 270 | Scenes play their pauses, and casting often asks for under two minutes |
| A wedding or birthday toast | 240 to 280 | Leave room for laughter |
| A welcome or onboarding video | 270 to 300 | Calm and clear |
| A corporate update | 280 to 320 | Usually read a little faster than it should be |
How two minutes divides
| Part | Time | Words at 140 a minute |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 0 to 15 s | About 35 |
| First point | 15 to 55 s | About 93 |
| Second point | 55 to 95 s | About 93 |
| Close and ask | 95 to 115 s | About 47 |
| Ending beat | 115 to 120 s | None |
Two points fit comfortably in two minutes. A third usually pushes it to two and a half.
Check yours
Paste it into the script timer. For a self-tape, choose the self-tape pace (130) and remember the reader's lines take time too, even though the reader's words are not yours to say.
Reading two minutes to a camera
- Mark the halfway point as a cue. If you lose your place, a remote or the Watch takes you to the second point in one press.
- Give the close its own speed. In Cutvey Teleprompter a cue can carry a slower speed, so the last lines land.
- Self-tape with a reader. Let the reader drive the scroll from their own iPhone or iPad in a session, and keep your hands out of the frame.
- Toasts are read to a room. Look up at the end of each paragraph; the next line will wait for you.
Other lengths
30 seconds · 1 minute · 3 minutes · 5 minutes · 10 minutes
Speaking rate, explained · All free tools
Questions people ask
How long is a 300-word script?
About two minutes at 150 words a minute, 2 minutes 9 seconds at 140 and 2 minutes 30 at 120.
How long should a self-tape monologue be?
Follow the casting notice. Without one, many actors aim for under two minutes, about 240 to 270 words at a self-tape pace.
How many words is a 2-minute wedding toast?
About 240 to 280 words, leaving room for laughter.